question on coyote behavior

D

donlynch

New member
a month ago i shot at a coyote on my bait. the bait is 110 yards out i shot it using a scope mounted red light it's the 1st time i've shot with the light.the coyote was chest on to me,at the shot it howled for at least 3 seconds ending with a bark, during this time i could see the red eyes going up and down and i thought it was trying to get up and dying so i made no 2nd shot.when i went over to get it, there was no coyote and no blood and i've searched high and low and cannot find it. could i have missed it completely and it howled out of fright or something. i'm shooting a 223/55gr nbt. at 1st i thought that the bullet stayed in the dog hence no blood, but i don't think it could go too far like that. what do you guys think? i really need some opinions from guys who have shot a lot more of these critters than i have.
don
 
If you hit them with a ndt he would be bleeding. Never heard them howl after being hit. Maybe someone has but all I have heard is growling and maybe a yip after the shot.
 
I only ever had one howl when hit. Coyote kept howling as I continued shooting. Coyote took a total of 440gr before dropping dead.
 
I had a situation with a coyote that had come in, winded me and headed back out. I stayed on the coyote until it turned back toward me, where I took the shot at about 125. Sounded like a good hit, but when I approached the coyote was up and moving. It was struggling to run and moved very erratically. Turned out the shot hit back in the gut rahter than in the chest as I had intended, probably because the coyote had turned in kind of a "U" rather than turning full broadside.

I wonder if the shot that you sent hit low or off to one side rather than straight in through the chest. those things are some kind of tough, but if it was making noise, sounds like it took the hit.

As for blood, I have had some that are gushers, and others that did not shed a drop.

I would chalk this one up as a learning opportunity, something for the "You ain't gonna beleive this...." book.
 
thanks guys, it's very cool to hear other people's experiences.TTT, i know, but i'm shooting off sandbags out my back door,i have a hard time thinking that an "expert shot" like me could miss, boy oh boy wouldn't i love to find it and see what happened . i keep hitting the replay button in my head, but i can just barely remember what i had for breakfast. keep your ideas comming guys.
don
 
The yotes I've shot head on like that always have dropped, DRT. I have had them tote a 55gr bullet way longer than I thought they should have.

I have also had them run a long way with a .270 shot to the pump station. These dogs are unbelievably tough.

I'm guessing on a clean miss, based on no blood and the howling thing. He'll be smarter next time, but if you're baiting he'll be back. Good luck!
 
Not a ton of experience but I can say I've been impressed with their toughness! I put a 55gr fmj through the chest of a female facing right at me once, she flopped around for a second then took off on a run. I trailed the blood for 75 yards and found her dead. I saw that the bullet had exited out behing her right shoulder blade and took her entire right lung with it. She drug one of her lungs along with her for that little death sprint. I don't know what that makes my opinion on your little story though, I could be persuaded to think it caught that lead and ran away with it (as I've witnessed how tough they are), miraculously not shedding a drop or that it was a miss. Who knows, have fun.
 
I've had one that howled for a long time after the hit; which was high and broke down his front shoulders, putting him face down on the ground. Should have put a second one in him but was busy trying to close the deal on number two. Screwed that up just in time to see number one running on his back legs and steering with his nose on the ground, howling all the way. He made it about 400 yards before expiring. As fasr as head on chest shots? I've only had one still standing after a quartering shot and she made about 500 yards before expiring. Something akin to what 68W experienced. Donl; you may have got him in the leg and he was expressing his displeasure. Thats happened twice for me. I was luckier than you though because neither of those made it to see another day.
 
I shot one hard and he was moving off slowly and I let him go so I could follow up on #two and three. I hit #2 at about three hundred yards and as I was watching him go down, # one gave two sharp barks and a howl. When I got to him he was dead. I'm sure it was a warning bark. It was strange.

Pack
 
thanks a lot for all your input, the experiences are so cool and interesting. i'm going to go out again and do one more search today,looking for buzzards and ravens,they're good at finding dead things.if i find it i'll surely let you know.
don
 
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